Abstract: A method for producing a target compound includes distributing a feed mixture containing ethane to multiple reaction tubes of a shell-and-tube reactor arranged in parallel, and subjecting to an oxidative catalytic conversion of the ethane in the reaction tubes. The catalytic reaction is carried out by means of catalysis zones with different activity arranged in series in the reaction tubes. One or more catalytically active materials and one or more catalytically inactive materials are provided in each of the catalysis zones. The different activity of the catalysis zones is effected by providing the one or more catalytically active materials having identical or essentially identical basic formulation, wherein the one or more catalytically active materials is or are prepared using different calcination intensities.

Abstract: An audio encoder for encoding an audio signal has: a first encoding processor for encoding a first audio signal portion in a frequency domain, having: a time frequency converter for converting the first audio signal portion into a frequency domain representation; an analyzer for analyzing the frequency domain representation to determine first spectral portions to be encoded with a first spectral resolution and second regions to be encoded with a second resolution; and a spectral encoder for encoding the first spectral portions with the first spectral resolution and encoding the second portions with the second resolution; a second encoding processor for encoding a second different audio signal portion in the time domain; a controller for analyzing and determining, which portion of the audio signal is the first audio signal portion encoded in the frequency domain and which portion is the second audio signal portion encoded in the time domain; and an encoded signal former for forming an encoded audio signal havi

Abstract: The present invention provides methods, compositions and devices for stabilizing the extracellular nucleic acid population in a cell-containing biological sample using an apoptosis inhibitor, preferably a caspase inhibitor, a hypertonic agent and/or a compound according to formula 1 as defined in the claims.

Abstract: A codec allowing for switching between different coding modes is improved by, responsive to a switching instance, performing temporal smoothing and/or blending at a respective transition.

Abstract: Methods and related devices for performing congestion control in a decentralized way are provided, particularly for controlling interference among autonomous wireless communication links, such as sidelink communication. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, methods for performing congestion control comprise sending a cooperation message that includes a measured total interference and a cooperation mode indicator. Based on this cooperation message, other devices may voluntarily decide to join a coalition for perform congestion control.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to simulating weight for a virtual object in artificial reality. Implementations of a weight simulator can simulate weight for a virtual object during interactions with a user in an artificial reality environment. For example, when a user picks up a virtual object with simulated weight, a spring dynamics model may take, as input, the user movement (e.g., had movement while grasping the virtual object) and control the virtual object movement using outputs from the spring dynamics model. The spring dynamics model's control of the virtual object's movement can give the appearance of lag relative to the user's movements. For example, the user may pick up and move the virtual object, and the virtual object may lag (e.g., behind and/or in a rotation) relative the user's hand movements, as if the user's hand and virtual object were connected by one or more virtual springs.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing one or more olefins and one or more carboxylic acids, in which one or more paraffins is or are subjected to an oxidative dehydrogenation. For the oxidative dehydrogenation, a reactor (10) having a plurality of reaction zones (11, 12, 13) is used, a gas mixture comprising the one or more paraffins is successively passed through the reaction zones (11, 12, 13), and at least two of the reaction zones (11, 12, 13) are subject to varying temperature influences. The invention also relates to a corresponding system (100).

Abstract: A process for producing ethylene by oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane using a shell-and-tube reactor having reaction tubes extending between a first end and a second end includes disposing one or more catalyst beds in each of the reaction tubes. In each of the reaction tubes, a ratio of a total length of the one or more catalyst beds between the first end and the second end to a diameter of each of the reaction tubes has a value between 150 and 400. The shell-and-tube reactor is operated at a linear velocity of 250 to 800 cm/s, and the one or more catalyst beds are configured such that a ratio of active catalyst mass to effective cooling area is in a range between 1.5 and 5 kg/m2.

Abstract: A method for producing a target compound includes distributing a feed mixture at a temperature in a first temperature range to a plurality of parallel reaction tubes of a shell-and-tube reactor, and subjecting the feed mixture in first tube sections of the reaction tubes to heating to a temperature in a second temperature range and in second tube sections of the reaction tubes arranged downstream of the first tube sections to oxidative catalytic conversion using one or more catalysts. A gas mixture flowing out of the second tube sections is brought into contact in third tube sections arranged downstream of the second tube sections with a catalyst which has a volumetric activity below the highest volumetric activity of the one or the plurality of catalysts arranged in the second tube sections. A gas mixture from the third tube sections is withdrawn from the shell-and-tube reactor without further catalytic conversion.

Abstract: A process for producing a target compound includes forming a feed mixture containing at least one reactant compound. The feed mixture is distributed to parallel reaction tubes of one or more shell-and-tube reactors and subjected to oxidative catalytic conversion in the reaction tubes. Steam is added to the feed mixture in an amount such that a steam fraction of the feed mixture is 5 to 95 vol %, oxygen is added to the feed mixture in the form of a fluid containing at least 95 vol % oxygen, and the oxidative catalytic conversion is carried out using one or more catalysts containing the metals molybdenum, vanadium, niobium and optionally tellurium.

Abstract: Producing a product hydrocarbon includes subjecting a feed mixture containing a feed hydrocarbon and oxygen to selective oxidation to obtain a product mixture containing product hydrocarbon and water. A subsequent mixture is formed from a portion of the product mixture by separating a portion of the water. Oxygen in the feed mixture is partially converted during the selective oxidation, so that the product mixture has a first residual oxygen content and the subsequent mixture has a second residual oxygen content. Detection of the first and/or the second residual oxygen content is performed using a first measuring device. A second measuring device at the end of the catalyst bed detects temperature. Using a process control and/or evaluation unit, measurement data of the first and/or second measuring device(s) are detected and are evaluated and/or processed while obtaining follow-up data. Process control is carried out on the basis of the follow-up data.

Abstract: A method for producing a target compound, includes distributing feed mixture at a temperature in a first temperature range to a plurality of parallel reaction tubes of a shell-and-tube reactor. The method further includes subjecting the feed mixture in first tube sections of the reaction tubes to heating to a temperature in a second temperature range, and in second tube sections of the reaction tubes arranged downstream of the first tube sections to oxidative catalytic conversion using one or more catalysts arranged in the second tube sections. The heating is performed, at least in part, using a catalyst arranged in the first tube sections and having a light-off temperature in the first temperature range.

Abstract: A multilayer photonic device is described, including an input region configured to receive an input signal, a multilayer stack optically coupled with the input region to receive the input signal, and an output region optically coupled with the multilayer stack to output an output signal. The multilayer stack can include a first metastructured dispersive region disposed in a first patterned layer of the multilayer stack and a second metastructured dispersive region disposed in a second patterned layer of the multilayer stack and optically coupled with the first metastructured dispersive region. The first metastructured dispersive region and the second metastructured dispersive region can together structure the multilayer stack to generate the output signal in response to the input signal.

Abstract: An optical device includes a first optically dimmable switch for providing a first transmittance while the first optically dimmable switch is in a first state and providing a second transmittance distinct from the first transmittance while the first optically dimmable switch is in a second state distinct from the first state. The optical device also includes a dynamic heat source thermally coupled with the first optically dimmable switch. The dynamic heat source is at a first temperature at a first time and is at a second temperature distinct from the first temperature at a second time mutually exclusive from the first time. The optical device may operate as an optical dimming device, which may be used in head-mounted display devices or as dimmable windows or shutters.

Abstract: In some embodiments, techniques for optimizing a design for a physical device to be fabricated by a fabrication system is provided. A computing system receives an initial design. The computing system simulates performance of the initial design to determine a simulated performance metric of the initial design. The computing system determines a Jacobian of the simulated performance metric of the initial design. The computing system backpropagates a gradient of the simulated performance metric of the initial design to generate an updated design. The computing system estimates performance of the updated design using the Jacobian of the simulated performance metric of the initial design to determine an estimated performance metric. The computing system backpropagates a gradient of the estimated performance metric to generate a further updated design.

Abstract: In some embodiments, techniques for optimizing a design for a physical device to be fabricated by a fabrication system is provided. A computing system receives an initial design. The computing system uses a fabrication model to determine structural parameters based on the initial design, wherein using the fabrication model includes applying one or more morphological transformations to the initial design that are predicted to be introduced by the fabrication system. The computing system obtains a performance metric by simulating performance of the structural parameters. The computing system determines a loss metric based on the performance metric. The computing system backpropagates a gradient of the loss metric to generate an updated design.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for modeling fabrication constraints of a fabrication process is described. The method includes receiving training data including pre-fabrication structures and post-fabrication, training a fabrication constraint model by optimizing parameters of the fabrication constraint model based on the training data to model the fabrication constraints of the fabrication process, receiving an input design corresponding to a physical device, and generating a fabricability metric of the input design via the fabrication constraint model. The fabricability metric is related to a probabilistic certainty that the input design is fabricable by the fabrication process determined by the fabrication constraint model.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for treating a waste lye of a lye scrub using an oxidation reactor (100), the waste lye and oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas mixture being introduced into the oxidation reactor (100) and steam being introduced into the oxidation reactor (100). It is provided that the steam is at least partially introduced by means of a steam feeding device (10), which has a cylindrical section (11) with a centre axis (12) and a wall (13), the centre axis (12) being aligned perpendicularly, a number of groups of openings (14) being formed in the wall, each of the groups comprising a number of the openings (14), and the number of openings (14) of each of the groups being arranged in one or more planes (15) that is or are in each case aligned perpendicularly to the centre axis (12). A corresponding installation and also a corresponding oxidation reactor (100) are likewise the subject of the present invention.

Abstract: A multi-channel photonic demultiplexer includes an input region to receive a multi-channel optical signal including four distinct wavelength channels, four output regions, each adapted to receive a corresponding one of the four distinct wavelength channels demultiplexed from the multi-channel optical signal, and a dispersive region optically disposed between the input region and the four output regions. The dispersive region includes a first material and a second material inhomogeneously interspersed to form a plurality of interfaces that each correspond to a change in refractive index of the dispersive region and collectively structure the dispersive region to optically separate each of the four distinct wavelength channels from the multi-channel optical signal and respectively guide each of the four distinct wavelength channels to the corresponding one of the four output regions.

Abstract: Techniques for optimizing a test physical device for detecting variations in a fabrication process are disclosed. A computing system simulates fabrication of an initial design for the test physical device using at least a first and a second fabrication model to determine first and second structural parameters, respectively. The first fabrication model assumes a first value for a physical characteristic of outputs of the fabrication process, and the second fabrication model assumes a second value for the physical characteristic of outputs of the fabrication process. A first and second performance metric are obtained by simulating performance of the first and second structural parameters, respectively. A loss metric based on at least the first performance metric and the second performance metric is determined that penalizes performance metrics with similar values for dissimilar structural parameters. A gradient of the loss metric is backpropagated to generate an updated design.